Nunki
Sigma Sagittarii · Sagittarius
Last updated
Position (2026)
♑ 12°45′ Capricorn
Magnitude
2.05
Planetary Nature
Jupiter / Mercury (Robson)
Alvidas: Saturn / Mercury
Spectral Type
B2.5V
Appearance
A blue-white star near the Archer's hand, the second brightest in Sagittarius
Name Origin
Language
Babylonian
Original Form
Unknown cuneiform origin
Meaning
Uncertain; possibly connected to the sacred city of Eridu
Sigma Sagittarii. One of the oldest star names still in use, believed to be of Babylonian or Sumerian origin. Its precise etymology is unclear, but it may be connected to the holy city of Eridu (modern Abu Shahrain in Iraq). The name appears on the Euphratean tablet known as the 'Tablet of the Thirty Stars.'
Known As
Beside the Archer's hand, Nunki sits on the vane of an arrow aimed at the Scorpion's heart. Crotus occupies this armed figure in the story that places Chiron farther south in Centaurus. The feathers steady the arrow's flight, and directed intent is the star's theme. Truthful speech and optimism come with it, and room for independent religious belief. Nunki's conviction seeks clear expression and a public hearing, criticism included. Its difficulty is the gap that opens between a position stated in words and the one carried out in action.
Truthfulness sounds like a quiet virtue until your work puts you before an audience. Robson's Nunki, listed under Pelagus, pairs a truthful and optimistic disposition with public position; his Mercury reading includes criticism, and his Moon reading describes a writer whose religion may be unorthodox. What you believe and how you say it are central to a Nunki consultation. [1]
With a close Nunki contact, conviction needs clear expression. Robson's writer and public figure both have to make their thinking intelligible to others. His account also allows for diplomacy. [1] Plain speaking takes thought when the person hearing you disagrees. Choosing when to speak and how much to explain is part of saying what you mean.
At the vane of the arrow in the Archer's hand, Nunki has an image of direction built into its place in the sky. Allen's account of its name looks toward the celestial Sea, while Fiorenza reads the arrow's fletching through steady flight. [2] [6] Keeping an intention steady asks more of you than the first confident statement of it.
Nunki by birth year
On 1 January 2026, Nunki stood at ♑ 12°45′ Capricorn in the tropical zodiac.
It entered Capricorn in January 1112.
Positions are for 1 January of each year; a star moves about 50 arcseconds a year, so a birth late in the decade sits close to the next row.
| Born in | Position |
|---|---|
| 1900 | ♑ 11°00′ Capricorn |
| 1910 | ♑ 11°07′ Capricorn |
| 1920 | ♑ 11°16′ Capricorn |
| 1930 | ♑ 11°24′ Capricorn |
| 1940 | ♑ 11°33′ Capricorn |
| 1950 | ♑ 11°41′ Capricorn |
| 1960 | ♑ 11°50′ Capricorn |
| 1970 | ♑ 11°58′ Capricorn |
| 1980 | ♑ 12°06′ Capricorn |
| 1990 | ♑ 12°15′ Capricorn |
| 2000 | ♑ 12°23′ Capricorn |
| 2010 | ♑ 12°32′ Capricorn |
| 2020 | ♑ 12°40′ Capricorn |
| 2030 | ♑ 12°49′ Capricorn |
From latitudes poleward of 63.7° N it never rises, and from latitudes poleward of 63.7° S it never sets (geometric horizon, refraction ignored).
Computed by the Augurine engine on the apparent equinox of date from HYG coordinates with proper motion applied (engine build 1c1cc33).
The celestial Sea beyond Nunki's arrow
Allen reports that Sigma Sagittarii had been identified with Nunki on the Euphratean Tablet of the Thirty Stars, the Star of the Proclamation of the Sea. He explains this Sea as the quarter of the heavens occupied by Aquarius and Capricornus, Delphinus, Pisces and Piscis Australis. Read the name with that expanse of sky in mind. The water is visible in the neighboring constellation figures, even though Nunki itself sits on the Archer's arrow. [2]
It is the same space in the sky that Aratos designated as the Water; perhaps another proof of the Euphratean origin of much of Greek astronomy.
Allen proposes a connection between the Euphratean and Greek descriptions of this watery region. He also places Nunki at the Indian junction of Ashadha and Abhijit. [2] The lunar mansions locate a boundary beside the star, while the Archer's figure locates the feather on the arrow.
Why Nunki's Jupiter has Mercury beside it
Influence. According to Ptolemy it is of the nature of Jupiter and Mercury; and, to Alvidas, of Saturn and Mercury, It gives truthfulness, optimism and a religious mind.
Robson attributes Jupiter and Mercury to Ptolemy, then reports Saturn and Mercury as Alvidas's alternative. Both pairs contain Mercury. His later Jupiter delineation describes a philosophical writer, while his Saturn meets delays and impeded ambition. [1] In either case, thought needs to become something you state clearly enough for another person to assess.
Ptolemy gives Jupiter and Mars to the bow and hand-grip, and Jupiter with a lesser share of Mercury to the cloak and back; the arrow point receives Mars and the Moon. Hephaistio repeats those divisions. Neither names Nunki, which Allen and Robson locate at the vane by the hand. [3] [4] [2] [1] Robson's exact identification with Ptolemy remains unresolved. Read Jupiter and Mercury as the mixture Robson assigns to Nunki rather than a named ruling in Ptolemy.
Strong conviction sometimes puts you at odds with an institution. Robson describes both a religious disposition and, with the Moon, religious nonconformity. [1] Look at how much freedom you have to express your beliefs, especially when work requires a public statement. Nunki's optimism rests in being willing to make the argument with the expectation that someone else might understand it.
Nunki in Capricorn since January 1112
Nunki entered tropical Capricorn in January 1112. Robson placed Pelagus at 11°16′ Capricorn in 1920; its position for 1 January 2026 is 12°45′ Capricorn. The difference is enough to matter when checking a close natal conjunction. A star moving through a sign over centuries still needs a position calculated for the birth date. [1]
A chart for the beginning of 2000 places Nunki at about 12°23′ Capricorn, over twenty minutes of arc earlier than its 2026 position. Both dates put it in the same tropical sign. Sigma Sagittarii belongs to the constellation Sagittarius, so its Capricorn degree still takes you to the Archer in Allen and Robson. Find the hand that holds the arrow; Nunki sits at its vane. [2] [1]
Speaking for yourself with Nunki's planets
Augurine's calculator uses a 1° conjunction orb for Nunki. Start with the contacting planet, since Robson varies his account by planet. Brady's brief Pelagus mention repeats his truthfulness reading. [1] [5]
With Sun. Influential public position, favourable for domestic and family matters.
With Nunki on your Sun, public standing gives you room to speak in your own name. Robson pairs that visibility with favorable domestic and family circumstances. Confidence at work has a private setting too. Explain a position in your own words, then stay available to answer for it when someone disagrees.
With Moon. Successful writer on science, philosophy, education or agriculture, unorthodox in religion, defeats enemies, many friends, illness of a Saturnian nature.
With the Moon, writing gives an independent point of view an audience. Robson names science, philosophy, education or agriculture. Each asks you to put knowledge into words another person understands. His medical ending belongs to historical predictive language; weigh his account against the whole chart and read the vocational details as tendencies. A religiously unorthodox writer still needs to explain a position to readers whose beliefs differ.
With Mercury, the audience is harder to please. Robson pairs high government position with public criticism. Expecting scrutiny is part of speaking in a role where your words have consequences. His Mars combines reserve and diplomacy with courage and straightforwardness. [1] Give yourself time to choose your words, then say them even when agreement is unlikely.
With Jupiter. Diplomatic, philosophical mind, writer, ecclesiastical or legal preferment.
With Jupiter, Robson places the writer in church or law. Personal judgment has to coexist with the responsibilities of speaking for a larger body. Saturn meets impeded ambition and delayed success. Continue the work during the delay, and keep putting it before others. Robson's Venus favors friendship and the heart ruling the head. [1] Notice when affection has more influence on a decision than the argument you give for it.
Extending Robson's public and intellectual concerns to the angles puts directness on the Ascendant. Face to face, you give a plain answer when someone asks where you stand. At the Midheaven, your words become part of your professional reputation. Speaking for an organization requires you to make its position understandable and stand behind what you have said, including when someone challenges it.
Nunki steadies the Archer's arrow
Fiorenza describes the fletching as the feathers that give an arrow spin and stability in flight so it reaches its target. In his modern sidereal interpretation, Nunki concerns directed intent. [6] After the first burst of conviction, the writer still has to continue the work and the public figure still has to explain a position to an unconvinced audience.
Brady gives Sagittarius a martial character and places the gentle teacher Chiron in Centaurus. Allen records the disputed Chiron identifications and describes the Archer's arrow as aimed at the Scorpion's heart. Mathieu Ossendrijver identifies the Babylonian Sagittarius with Pabilsag, an ancient warrior deity. [5] [2] [7] The Archer is armed and has chosen a target.
A writer needs to keep an argument coherent through revisions, including those that change what they first meant to say. In public office, the position you explain needs to agree with the one you act on. Fiorenza's directed intent and Robson's truthfulness meet in that sustained attention. [6] [1] Revisit what you have said when your actions have moved away from it.
Crotus and Nunki's Proclamation of the Sea
Zeus wanted to place Chiron in the heavens, but Crotus already occupied Sagittarius. He could not displace the wild creature, so he placed Chiron far to the south in Centaurus. The two figures have different characters. The Archer is armed and threatening; Chiron is a gentle teacher and healer. Brady tells the story this way. [5]
The Archer aims his arrow at the Scorpion's heart. Nunki sits on its vane, beside the hand that holds it. Farther south is the other Centaur, whose mild appearance differs from the Archer's threatening look. Allen describes the two figures and the disagreement over Chiron: some writers gave his name to Sagittarius, while others placed him in the southern Centaur. [2]
In the Babylonian zodiac, Pabilsag occupies Sagittarius. Mathieu Ossendrijver identifies him as an ancient warrior deity. [7]
This has been identified with Nunki of the Euphratean Tablet of the Thirty Stars, the Star of the Proclamation of the Sea, this Sea being the quarter occupied by Aquarius, Capricornus, Delphinus, Pisces, and Piscis Australis.
How the authors read Nunki
| Source | Nature | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Ptolemy | Varies by part of Sagittarius | He assigns Jupiter and Mars to the bow and hand-grip, and Jupiter with less Mercury to the cloak and back. Nunki is unnamed. [3] |
| Hephaistio | Varies by part of Sagittarius | His bow and hand-grip receive Jupiter and Mars; his cloak and back receive Jupiter with a lesser share of Mercury. [4] |
| Robson | Jupiter and Mercury | His Pelagus entry favors truthfulness and optimism. He attributes Jupiter and Mercury to Ptolemy and reports Alvidas's alternative of Saturn and Mercury. [1] |
| Brady | no planetary mixture given | She repeats Robson's truthfulness reading for Pelagus in her discussion of Rukbat. [5] |
| Fiorenza | no planetary mixture given | He reads Nunki through the arrow's fletching, which steadies its flight toward the target. [6] |
Natal Conjunctions
Find your conjunctions →Nunki Conjunct Sun
Public standing gives this contact a setting in which your own judgment can be heard. Robson's Pelagus entry describes an influential position and favourable domestic or family circumstances. Confidence in speaking in your own name matters here, including how you use it at home. You may find it easier to explain a decision when you have taken responsibility for making it. The reading favours a position you can discuss plainly with the people affected.
Nunki Conjunct Moon
Writing from an independent point of view is the clearest emphasis here. Robson names science, philosophy, education or agriculture as subjects, with religious nonconformity and a capacity to find friends despite opposition. His medical ending belongs to his 1923 predictive register. The working reading concerns knowledge you care enough about to explain in detail. An audience can develop around that sustained interest, including readers who find the work useful while disagreeing with some of your beliefs.
Nunki Conjunct Mercury
Words spoken from an official position are open to public scrutiny. Robson pairs high government office and wealth with popular criticism, then adds anxiety concerning a wife or mother. The reading concerns what you can explain when public and private responsibilities both need attention. You may have to explain a complicated decision while managing concerns that an audience cannot see. Clear limits on what you can answer help keep the public explanation accurate.
Nunki Conjunct Venus
You choose on someone's behalf because you care about them, then explain the decision in more impersonal terms. Robson describes friendship and favours from others, with feeling taking precedence over calculation. That gives Venus a warmer expression than the public argument found elsewhere in his Pelagus entry. You may support a person because the relationship matters, even when another choice looks more advantageous. Recognising that preference openly makes the decision easier to understand and discuss with those involved.
Nunki Conjunct Mars
A reserved approach allows you to choose when to speak directly. Robson describes diplomacy and courage together with straightforwardness, allowing financial gain while warning about unreliable friends. The combination suggests action that is considered before it becomes forceful. You may be willing to wait for a useful moment without giving up the position you intend to state. A clear purpose helps you choose which confrontation deserves effort and which would only distract from the work.
Nunki Conjunct Jupiter
Philosophical writing finds an institutional setting in this reading. Robson describes a diplomatic mind and authorship, with advancement in church or law. Personal conviction then has to operate within the responsibilities of a larger body. You may need to explain an organisation's position while holding a more qualified view yourself. The work is to make that distinction intelligible. Thoughtful public writing can address the institution's actual commitments and leave room for serious discussion of them.
Nunki Conjunct Saturn
You keep submitting the work, even through a long period when support seems difficult to find. Robson describes reserve and opposition, with threatened standing and success placed after fifty; he also gives later wealth and favourable late marriage. His age threshold is a historical delineation, so the reading concerns prolonged development rather than a deadline. Consider what enables you to keep submitting work after discouragement. The question is how that experience reaches readers beyond the people who already know your work.
Nunki Conjunct Uranus
A public or business role can develop unevenly, with abrupt changes in resources or standing. Robson's Uranus combines industry and pride with high office, early disgrace and sudden gains or losses. His harsher treatment of women reflects the language of his 1923 account. In practice, examine how ambition responds when an arrangement changes faster than expected. Strong initiative needs enough flexibility to revise a plan, especially when friends and colleagues have committed their own efforts to it.
Nunki Conjunct Neptune
Practical work and occult interests sit together in Robson's Neptune entry. He includes wealth and involvement with large concerns, alongside domestic disagreements and success against opponents. This supports a reading about giving an unusual interest an organised form, particularly within a substantial project. You may find that imagination works well with budgets or administrative responsibilities. The private cost deserves attention too, since a demanding undertaking can leave less room for the people sharing your home.
Nunki Conjunct Pluto
Once people look to you for a particular argument, revising it might feel like risking your influence. The public and intellectual reading takes a more controlling form here when agreement starts to matter more than understanding. You may press for certainty because an unresolved question seems to weaken the whole argument. Follow the question far enough to discover what needs revision. A statement can retain conviction while acknowledging the limits of what you currently understand.
Nunki Conjunct North Node
Continuing a purpose after its first appeal fades is central to this application to the Node. Fiorenza's fletching analogy concerns an arrow kept steady in flight; read through chosen commitments, it asks what sustains your intention during the work. You may begin with a clear view and discover that explaining it takes repeated attempts. An affiliation that supports revision can help the purpose develop into something another person can understand and use.
Nunki Conjunct Ascendant
Plain speaking shapes the first impression in this extension of Robson's truthful, optimistic Pelagus reading. Someone may approach you because they expect a direct answer, while your willingness to give one can precede a full understanding of their situation. Listen for what they are trying to decide before stating your view. In a face-to-face exchange, confidence needs enough curiosity to answer the question the other person is asking.
Nunki Conjunct Midheaven
A reputation built through words makes consistency a professional responsibility. Robson's Mercury concerns public office under criticism, while his Jupiter gives philosophical writing and institutional advancement. Applied to the Midheaven, these readings favour work that makes a complicated position understandable. You may speak for an organisation as well as yourself, with different obligations in each role. Professional credibility develops through explaining those obligations clearly and acting in a way that others can reconcile with your words.
Paran Interpretations
Parans describe what happens when Nunki and a planet simultaneously occupy the four angles (rising, culminating, setting, nadir) at a given location.
Nunki in Paran with Sun
Rising
A supportive family setting gives you room to state your view early on. Confidence develops through answering for a decision you have made.
Culminating
Personal judgment gains a wider audience and greater responsibility through a visible position. Brady's middle-life timing frames this extension of Robson's public Sun reading.
Setting
Speaking from experience may become important to a later partnership. Confidence can include giving the other person room to arrive at a different conclusion.
At the Nadir
Decisions remembered in private reveal how closely you followed your public words. Family circumstances give personal context to the beliefs you stated.
Nunki in Paran with Moon
Rising
Writing gives an early interest in explaining what you know a form. Independent beliefs help determine which subjects you return to.
Culminating
Work on science or education may find a public audience in middle life, with a personal commitment to the subject sustaining detailed explanation.
Setting
Ideas tested through experience have room to develop with later readers. They might value the writing while disagreeing with its religious or philosophical position.
At the Nadir
Notes kept outside public view preserve the course of a longstanding inquiry. Later readers can follow how a personally important question developed.
Nunki in Paran with Mercury
Rising
When you first speak for a group, others scrutinise your words. Learning to explain a decision belongs to accepting that responsibility.
Culminating
An official position puts your words under criticism at the height of your work. Public explanations need enough precision to withstand disagreement.
Setting
Statements made under professional pressure warrant another look in later conversations. A revised account distinguishes what was known then from what became clear afterward.
At the Nadir
Private concerns may have shaped the circumstances of a public explanation. Reflection can distinguish those pressures from the reasoning behind the decision itself.
Nunki in Paran with Venus
Rising
Friendship may influence early choices more strongly than practical calculation, with affection encouraging commitments that make sense through the relationship itself.
Culminating
Friends' goodwill helps a project proceed where a formal argument has stalled. Their support becomes publicly visible as your work reaches its height.
Setting
Affection guided decisions that you revisit with a companion later in life. Acknowledging that preference helps explain a shared choice.
At the Nadir
Behind a commitment's public explanation, gratitude or attachment might be what sustains it. Privately, you know why calculation alone left it undecided.
Nunki in Paran with Mars
Rising
Choosing when to act gives directness a reserved form early in life. Courage includes waiting until a statement can serve its purpose.
Culminating
Diplomacy may become valuable in a public contest, where firm action requires attention to timing and to the reliability of those offering support.
Setting
Straightforwardness needs tact when an old partner returns to a disagreement later in life. A carefully chosen statement gives repeated confrontation somewhere to end.
At the Nadir
Preparing decisions quietly gives a long undertaking continuity. Private resolve sustains action after the immediate encouragement from other people has faded.
Nunki in Paran with Jupiter
Rising
Writing or joining an institution gives philosophical interests an early outlet. Explaining a belief helps clarify which responsibilities you are prepared to accept.
Culminating
Writing for church or law has public responsibilities as your work reaches its height. Diplomacy matters when your judgment differs from the institution's position.
Setting
Ideas first developed inside an institution may warrant reconsideration through teaching or authorship later in life. Experience gives the argument context that an abstract statement would miss.
At the Nadir
Examining a belief privately supports writing that others can return to later. They need access to the reasoning if they are to question it.
Nunki in Paran with Saturn
Rising
An early delay may encourage reserve about ambitions. Continued practice can develop the work while you look for a setting prepared to receive it.
Culminating
When recognition arrives slowly, opposition tests professional standing at the height of your work. Achievement requires patience as well as skill.
Setting
Robson's Saturn reading gives prominence to later success. Applied through angle timing, it concerns work or companionship given room to develop after prolonged disappointment.
At the Nadir
What you kept practising privately through discouragement contributes to a lasting body of work. Its value is easier to see in retrospect.
Nunki in Paran with Ascendant
Rising
Directness has an immediate personal expression through birth angularity. Early encounters may encourage you to state a view before learning how another person sees the situation.
Culminating
Others encounter your plain speaking publicly in middle life. A clear explanation helps them understand a difficult decision and draws attention to your manner.
Setting
Familiar relationships may reveal how your direct manner has changed over time, including a greater willingness to hear the question before answering it.
At the Nadir
Thinking privately before you speak helps distinguish what you understand well enough to explain from what still needs further thought.
Nunki in Paran with Midheaven
Rising
Public communication receives emphasis near the beginning of professional life in the birth-angle reading, with early responsibility for words spoken on behalf of a group.
Culminating
Explaining an organisation's position is part of your responsibility at a career's public height. Credibility depends on whether the work matches that explanation.
Setting
Earlier words remain in circulation after your professional role changes. Later writing gives their readers context or clarifies the position.
At the Nadir
Explanations prepared outside public attention give successors a way to understand why a course was chosen. That understanding supports an enduring professional contribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Nunki conjunct the Sun mean?
Nunki on your Sun favors speaking with personal authority and gaining a public hearing. Robson describes influential public position and favorable family circumstances. [1] Give your judgment in your own words, with enough confidence to answer for it when someone disagrees.
What does Nunki conjunct the Moon mean?
With the Moon, an independent point of view finds expression in writing. Robson specifies science, philosophy, education or agriculture, and describes religious nonconformity. [1] Consider what you want to explain and who you want to reach, especially when your beliefs differ from those of your readers.
Is Nunki a fortunate fixed star?
Robson's general reading is favorable, especially for truthful speech and an optimistic outlook. His Mercury account includes public criticism, while Saturn encounters delayed success. [1] The opportunity is a hearing for work or beliefs you explain with conviction. Read that opportunity alongside the contacting planet's difficulties.
What does the name Nunki mean?
The name Nunki comes from Babylonian: Unknown cuneiform origin, meaning "Uncertain; possibly connected to the sacred city of Eridu." Sigma Sagittarii. The star is known by 2 different cultural names across world traditions.
Sources
- Vivian E. Robson, The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology, American Federation of Astrologers, Inc., 1923. Used for entry 73, Pelagus, its 1920 longitude and planetary delineations, including the Alvidas alternative.
Text of the 1923 edition; the site quotes a 2017 reprint.
- Richard Hinckley Allen, Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, Dover Publications, Inc., 1899. Used for the proposed tablet identification, celestial Sea, Indian lunar mansions, Archer's anatomy and disputed Chiron identification.
- Claudius Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, translated by Frank Egleston Robbins, 1940. Used for the distinct planetary mixtures for parts of Sagittarius in Book 1, section 9.
- Hephaistio of Thebes, Apotelesmatics, Book I, translated by Robert Schmidt, The Golden Hind Press, 1994. Used for the bow and hand-grip and cloak and back assignments in Book 1, section 3.
- Bernadette Brady, Brady's Book of Fixed Stars, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1998. Used for the Pelagus report in Rukbat and the distinction between Sagittarius and Chiron.
- Nick Anthony Fiorenza, An Introduction to Astronomical Astrology, 2015. Used for the modern Nunki interpretation based on the arrow's fletching.
- Alan C. Bowen and Francesca Rochberg (editors), Hellenistic Astronomy: The Science in Its Contexts, Koninklijke Brill NV, 2020. Used for Ossendrijver's identification of Sagittarius with Pabilsag.
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